Reflections on our Area Dinner Last Night

Last night we had our all area neighborhood dinner. It was really great to connect with you and see you there! And the food was probably a bit of a surprise for many of you attending. Last night we got into the world of someone who does have enough food to eat. We replicated the “Feed My Starving Children” (brown rice and vegetables) food and everyone was limited to about one cup and there was only water to drink. We then spent the night talking about world hunger and many of the issues surrounding this topic.

I would love to hear how it affected you. What kind of impact did it make? What kind of feelings did it invoke? Did you learn anything?

I am sure many of you took it in stride, you saw this as a warm up for next week when Pastor Bill Hybels has challenged us all participate in the Five–Day Solidarity Challenge, April 21–25. Eating only foods like: Rice and beans, oatmeal or cream of wheat, vegetables and little bits of chicken or fish. It will be a big challenge but I am looking forward to it and seeing how it affects me.

Maybe some of you had a bad day yesterday and coming to the dinner did not quite meet your expectations. My daughter Priya said, “Mom, this is not a party like we had last time, there are no desserts!” Then she came to realize that there was only rice to eat and water to drink! At about 6:15pm, I am sure some of you heard her in the back of the room throwing a royal fit because she “does not like just rice and begetables” (she doesn’t always say her v’s). And you should have seen the look on her face when I told her the cookies were made with dirt (see “dirt cookies”). She thought I was completely out of my mind. I love children because you can pretty much tell exactly how they are feeling. Maybe you can identify with Priya, you had a long hard day and this was not exactly what you were expecting and internally you had a little fit.

Maybe some of you were not really aware of some of the facts about hunger in our world. I will be honest, I had no idea it was such a big problem until I read the book, “The End of Poverty” by Jeffrey Sachs. It is a insightful book that I would encourage you to read. I had no idea that about 2.7 billion people in our world live on $2 a day or less. 2.7 billion people is nearly half of the world’s population! That is just nuts! Then to find out that the things that keep people from food are not overly complex. Things like roads, transportation of food, and irrigation are solvable problems.

I am excited that Willow Creek Church is identifying with those suffering around our world. I am even more excited that we are taking steps to make a real difference. I am stunned that over 700 people have signed up for our “Feed My Starving Children” event in the Dundee Crown Area! This is such an awesome community to be part of.

Whatever feelings this night invokes for you, I challenge you to ask God what he is trying to show you in all this? What is he teaching you? Those questions are why we engage in spiritual disciplines and sacrifice on behalf of others. For in this God often speaks.